I know nada about South America but i'm planning a trip... and for me that always starts with how much do £ do i need?

Just looking for a daily budget so i can see how long we can get.

We all travel differently but assuming i want lower mid range accommodation,eat in backpacker/cheapo restaurants,travel overland,do no (i mean ZERO) activities but still have a few beers and a bottle of wine at the end of the day to watch the sun go down.

Not sure if this'll help or not, but my budget is £3000 for 4 months. Staying in cheap rooms/hostels, eating street food in the main, etc..

I fly to Cartagena Dec 10th, from there am planning on definitely travelling through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Possibly nip into Chile. Don't expect to have any time to go any further (unless I come across a mega-cheap flight back to Europe from Brazil), that'll be a future trip.

I'm cursed! I spent more than an hour posting links to hotels and restaurants in Buenos Aires, Salta, and Catamarca (Argentina) and to hotels at Iguazu Falls (Brazilian side) and in Santiago de Chile, but in trying to correct a typo in one of the links I accidentally deleted my intended post.

Here are some links to restaurants in Buenos Aires, ranging from elegant and high-priced to the equivalent of sandwich shops:

Cheers NA that restaurant called La Rambla looks nice...oddly enough the bottle of wine in the picture is what i was drinking a few weeks ago...sounds like i'd like Argentina....its one of the places i intend to spend extended time...Uruguay too.

Lincoln wrote:Cheers NA that restaurant called La Rambla looks nice...oddly enough the bottle of wine in the picture is what i was drinking a few weeks ago...sounds like i'd like Argentina....its one of the places i intend to spend extended time...Uruguay too.

When I was posting on The Thorn Tree I had a list of about 10 things to do in Buenos Aires, most of them free and involving no more than a walk. You can walk from the Retiro neighborhood to Recoleta, then continue on to Palermo, and because I didn't have a map handy as I made the list I said I might have erred on which streets to take, where to turn, etc., because I was trusting my memory. I was pleased when an Argentine poster replied that my memory was working just fine.

If you fly into Buenos Aires, I recommend going to the Manuel Tienda Leon kiosk at Ezeiza airport for transportation into the city. They have vans that take you into their terminal in the city center, or you can take a remis (a private car and driver). Their kiosk has a sign with a lion's head (leon in Spanish). Here's a link to their Web site, where I've pre-selected "bus" (their least expensive form of transport) to keep you from having a heart attack over the prices. What we call the dollar sign is used in Argentina to denote their own currency; dollars are usually denoted by $USD.

For transportation between Argentina and Uruguay, I recommend Buqueus, which has various boats and ferries crossing the Rio de la Plata to places in Uruguay. There are a number of crossings every day between Buenos Aires and Montevideo, from which you can continue on to Punta del Este by bus.

You can also take a virtual tour of the Francisco, one of the Buquebus ships taking passengers and autos across the river. Click on the arrows at the bottom of the screen to see different classes of accommodations and the hold where autos are parked.

I mentioned above that I spent most nights staying with relatives, but splurged on fancy hotels when I was in places where I had no family. Here are my recommendations if you have an urge to treat yourself to something special:

In Buenos Aires I stayed at the Crillon, in the city center just off the Plaza San Martin, on arriving in the city. At the end of each trip I stayed at the Ulisses, in the Recoleta neighborhood. There are probably two dozen restaurants within a couple of blocks of the Ulisses (La Rambla is on the same block), so even though I was worn out by three weeks of walking around it was easy to get to someplace nearby for lunch and dinner. El Sanjuanino, another restaurant, is only a couple of blocks away, and they deliver!

The waterfalls at Iguazu are on Argentina's border with Brazil, within national parks created by the two countries. There are only two in the parks themselves; I stayed at the Hotel das Cataratas, in the Brazilian park.

When an Argentine cousin and I went to Chile for a few days, we treated ourselves to a penthouse suite at the Riviera Hotel in the heart of Santiago. Was it worth it? An early riser, I was impressed by the stunning view of the city and the Andes, but by about 10 a.m. the view was obscured by smog. We moved to a cheaper room after that.

I'd budget about $250/day but that's arctic peso's not pounds.But I'd fly everywhere, and spend at least $100/night on a place to stay + I have a shit load of hotel points I'd use.Turns out I'm a crappy person to ask.

I'm going to the back seat of my car, with the woman I love, and I won't be back for ten minutes!

I'd like have weed everyday and maybe a bit of sniff seeing as we're there.

Fantastic idea, by the way. Make sure to include a fairly substantial portion of your budget to cover legal expenses for your daily weed habit and coke binges; transactions which you will, without a doubt, completely fuck up. Might want to have the kids and wifey watch a few relevant episodes of locked up abroad ahead of time as well to prepare them for your madcap adventures and the aftermath of same.

Korky wrote:i remember being on Samothraki island is 2003 and apologizing for being an American under Bush II.

If you like to amble and find yourself in Buenos Aires, I've plotted out a couple of walks for you. I did a search for Buenos Aires walking tours, and a site came up for a business with exactly that name. Except for one trip to Argentina when I took bus tours because I was with my mother, who was 78 and had arthritis, I’ve always put together my own walks. Here are my own suggestions, using the Google map that comes up for that commercial site:

1. Starting at the southwest end of the Plaza San Martin, the largest green space in the city that isn’t a park, take Esmeralda (you’ll see it to the left of the pinpointed commercial site) to the north, then take Arroyo to the left. After Arroyo crosses the Avenida 9 de Julio, take Avenida Alvear all the way to the plaza in front of Our Lady of Pilar and Recoleta Cemetery. The cemetery is worth wandering through even if you don’t visit Eva Peron’s tomb (Familia Duarte). The church adjoining the cemetery is the city’s oldest, dating from about 1732. The front of the altar is solid silver, now plated with white gold so there’s no longer a need to polish away any tarnish. Dozens of restaurants and cafes are on the plaza and nearby streets, so your amble can end with a nice meal, coffee and facturas, or ice cream.

2. From the same starting point, and with the same destination, take Esmeralda but do not turn off into Arroyo; continue to Avenida Libertador, then turn left. There will be buildings on the left side of Libertador, parks on the right. Continue along Libertador to Callao, a major commercial street, and turn left into Callao. Take Callao to Quintana, then turn right and continue on Quintana to the plaza in front of the cemetery and church at the end of the first tour. If you choose this walk, you will find yourself almost walking into El Gomero, a huge rubber tree planted in about 1810 by the friars of the church. Café La Biela is also right there.

3. Same starting point, different destination: Take Santa Fe, which forms the southern boundary of the Plaza San Martin, to the right, then at Florida turn right again. Florida is the city’s main pedestrian shopping street, lined with shops and malls where you can find everything ranging from cheap souvenirs to handmade silver and leather goods. Step into Galerias Pacifico to see one of the best malls. Continuing along Florida, you will come into the Diagonal Norte, where if you turn left you will arrive at the Plaza de Mayo. The Casa Rosada is interesting, the Cabildo is mostly a reconstruction, but many people fail to enter the Cathedral. It is there that you will find the tomb of General Jose de San Martin, whose remains were brought here from France. The tomb is in one of the chapels on the left, easily identifiable by the military honor guard at its entrance.

NorthAmerican wrote:If you like to amble and find yourself in Buenos Aires, I've plotted out a couple of walks for you. I did a search for Buenos Aires walking tours, and a site came up for a business with exactly that name. Except for one trip to Argentina when I took bus tours because I was with my mother, who was 78 and had arthritis, I’ve always put together my own walks. Here are my own suggestions, using the Google map that comes up for that commercial site:

1. Starting at the southwest end of the Plaza San Martin, the largest green space in the city that isn’t a park, take Esmeralda (you’ll see it to the left of the pinpointed commercial site) to the north, then take Arroyo to the left. After Arroyo crosses the Avenida 9 de Julio, take Avenida Alvear all the way to the plaza in front of Our Lady of Pilar and Recoleta Cemetery. The cemetery is worth wandering through even if you don’t visit Eva Peron’s tomb (Familia Duarte). The church adjoining the cemetery is the city’s oldest, dating from about 1732. The front of the altar is solid silver, now plated with white gold so there’s no longer a need to polish away any tarnish. Dozens of restaurants and cafes are on the plaza and nearby streets, so your amble can end with a nice meal, coffee and facturas, or ice cream.

2. From the same starting point, and with the same destination, take Esmeralda but do not turn off into Arroyo; continue to Avenida Libertador, then turn left. There will be buildings on the left side of Libertador, parks on the right. Continue along Libertador to Callao, a major commercial street, and turn left into Callao. Take Callao to Quintana, then turn right and continue on Quintana to the plaza in front of the cemetery and church at the end of the first tour. If you choose this walk, you will find yourself almost walking into El Gomero, a huge rubber tree planted in about 1810 by the friars of the church. Café La Biela is also right there.

3. Same starting point, different destination: Take Santa Fe, which forms the southern boundary of the Plaza San Martin, to the right, then at Florida turn right again. Florida is the city’s main pedestrian shopping street, lined with shops and malls where you can find everything ranging from cheap souvenirs to handmade silver and leather goods. Step into Galerias Pacifico to see one of the best malls. Continuing along Florida, you will come into the Diagonal Norte, where if you turn left you will arrive at the Plaza de Mayo. The Casa Rosada is interesting, the Cabildo is mostly a reconstruction, but many people fail to enter the Cathedral. It is there that you will find the tomb of General Jose de San Martin, whose remains were brought here from France. The tomb is in one of the chapels on the left, easily identifiable by the military honor guard at its entrance.

So good of you to take the time to post this NA...i've printed it off and it'll be partof the plan.

Your postings have really got us into the idea of visiting one country first for a 2/3 week holiday to suss out SA first,that way we can still take mini-lincoln....and Argentina has always been on my list...cheers NA!

I'm a big fan of getting a guidebook and just seeing things as opposed to doing things...like i say,we're all different,i'm too damn stubborn to change,i like to travel this way.

Fair enough. I can spend a lot of time doing that stuff when I’m travelling long-term. But I’m also a lazy-ass traveller so I’m not above paying someone else to organise shit for me, and I’m definitely not above sticking my hand in my pocket for some cool activity I couldn’t do at home. My only trip to South America I did guided treks, dune buggying, parapenting from the cliffs in Lima, a flight over the Nazca Lines. I wouldn’t have missed any of those things.

I can’t help you on costs because I can’t really remember what I spent. I do remember than in Huacachina, I rejected a shitty $5 room and took a $10 room in the same place, which was perfectly decent - no facilities and no view but clean and with a comfortable bed. This was in 2013. That was typical everywhere I went in Peru other than Lima, which was expensive enough for accommodation that it’s the last place I slept in a dorm.

Born a worm, spins a coccoonGoes to sleep, wakes up a butterflyWhat the fuck is that about?

My info is 5 years dated by now, but some still relavent....Colombia, ecuador, peru, boliva are where you stretch your budget. Visit those countrys 1st, then check you budget if you wanna see the others.I met countle55 clownpanters that visited brazil and argentina 1st in ther RTW gap bonanza, and blew ALL their coin. There really is no 'travelers discount' in those countries, unle55 you really work at it, or buddy up with the argie bracelet makers. These same L005ers tended to also have just come from asia, and had language i55ues as english is not as prominent. Ive not travelled asia, but this is something i heard and saw quite a bit.Nice rooms are not all that expensive. For $20 bucks you can usually get something nice.Ask for the top floor with a view, its always available, and you can sometimes get a discount for taking the stairs. 9 times outta 10 unless you ask for something specific you will be put as close to the front desk as po55ible, its a cultural thing is the best i can gue55.Busses are cheap, or expensive. There are some nice sleeeper options for the long hauls if thats your thing. I never booked in advance or with a tour company, riporf. Just go to the bus station and buy a ticket. When you get into town, always check the listing for the place you wanna go next. There are always a few companies. There is always a bus to everywhere. This does require some spanish basics.I used an LP for each country. I supplemented with a moon guide for the region, and another random history/guide type book.The entire continent books are vague.Food is cheap, fill up at lunch. Rotisserie fucking chicken, salchipapas, and lomo saltado...... MMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmm.......Weed is everywhere, though the quality is meh. Seeeds! Bring papers.Thats all i got for now.

Choose my bluest tape and unlock my carAn honest tune with a lingering lead has taken me this far

Oh ya, you dont eat meat....Good luck with that!You may be able to avoid chunks of meat, but broth is in everything.You are going to be eating a lot of chifa, lol.Papas rellenas should be available sin carne.

That said, i usually ate a tomato, onion, avocado sandwiches for lunch, or dinner, or second lunch, whatevah.The town market is the place, Mountians of Fruits/Veggies, and you can usually find a decent bread. Good bread if you are lucky......6 bad a55 mini sandwiches for like a buck, $2 if you go all gourmet and get a mayonnaise packet (i lurve how you can buy individual condiment packs at the bodegas) and some papas to put on it.Avacados are basically free, they are called palta in peru, no one will tell you this, and peruvians will act as if you are speeeking ru55ian if you ask for an aquacate, get the brown/purple ones...They are amazing. I kant eat the mexican garbage they send us here in the seppoland after gorging myself on them.SA cheeese if insanely horrrible.I love cheese, and cept for pizza, didnt eat it the entire time i was there.Latin white death cheeese. It turns my shit to black tar.... Blech.

Choose my bluest tape and unlock my carAn honest tune with a lingering lead has taken me this far

steveogolf wrote:I concur that doing weed anywhere in South America is asking for big big trouble, and is definitely not worth the risk.

It's legal, or at least decriminalized, in Uruguay. In my experience, it's widely available all over the continent, but low-quality brick schwag.

OP, focus your question a bit. If you're on a budget, you should probably forget about Brazil, at least the South and southeast. Chile is relatively expensive too.

Thanks,yes Brazil holds no interest for me whatsoever...so ill be happy to just pass through,Chile though is defo on the list as I met a fair few chillians whilst travelling through central America and they were always interesting and I here good things about Santiago.

Just rethinking this trip and trying to fit around kid etc....and i've come up with the idea of splitting the trip in to 3/4 chunks of 3 months ....so,go for 3 months then come back...work a bit (or not) then head back for another 3 months.

i have found piss-cheap flights on Norweigian Air...i can fly one way to Buenos Areas for £350!

Lincoln wrote:Ok, cheers Polar...i want to hit each area during their spring summer.

Spring and summer would be the best time to see Santiago if you want to see the city and the Andes. I was there for a few days with an Argentine cousin during their autumn (late May), and we stayed in the penthouse suite of a downtown hotel. The morning view was spectacular, but by 10 a.m. the mountains were hidden from view by smog.

I would have chosen to group the countries differently: Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile, making the crossing between Argentina and Chile by road from Mendoza to Santiago; then for the next trip, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru, all of which I think of as having more connection to their older, pre-columbian roots. (I have no interest in Paraguay, but you could put it at the beginning of that second trip if you do.)

I enjoy reading NorthAmerican's posts. So well-written and interesting except for the dull parts.--Nines

Yes that makes sense NA cheers...oddly enough i just cycled into town so i could go sit in the travel section of the main bookshop and i was reading exactly about Mendoza and it being the wine region,whilst i was reading i thought it makes perfect sense to head into Chile from there.

Uruguay looked awesome too,it looked very drive-able.

Looking into it Sept/Oct/Nov would be a good time for those 3 countries,have I got that right?...i want to avoid winter but also the very but christmas period.

Three of my four trips to Argentina were during their spring, so my memories are of flowers and trees in bloom. Here's a video that shows the purple flowers of jacaranda trees in the Plaza San Martin, easily identifiable by the landmark Edificio Kavanagh, an Art Deco high-rise apartment building. The tango is sung by Angel Vargas.

I enjoy reading NorthAmerican's posts. So well-written and interesting except for the dull parts.--Nines

Also, seeing as my first looong trip to South America wont be for for 4 years i was thinking of doing a quick recce to Argentina as a taster,say, for 2/3 weeks next Christmas...what would be a good itinerary for that?

Also, seeing as my first looong trip to South America wont be for for 4 years i was thinking of doing a quick recce to Argentina as a taster,say, for 2/3 weeks next Christmas...what would be a good itinerary for that?

Lincs, It's a bad idea to go to Argentina around Christmas time, and it's also bad during January and into February --- too many tourists, including local Argies travelling at that time, with too much competition for everything (hotels, hostels, flights, buses, etc). It's a good idea to do a recon trip, but not at that time. The very best would be Argentina starting in early to mid March for 2-3 weeks -- very good weather and not so busy.

Beerfree (Kilimbo) is a very good source of information because he lives in Ushuaia (Tierra Del Fuego), and can probably answer all of your questions.

Lincoln wrote:Hang on so have i got this right....Spring in Argentina = Sept October November ?

Exactly. No, none of the images I've posted here were my own. I've dumped most of mine because there are thousands of images on the Internet that show restaurants, hotels, even the jacarandas in the Plaza San Martin, better than my own.

A couple of cautions:

Buenos Aires is a humid city year-round, so in summer it's almost unbearably hot and humid, and in winter the chill may seem to penetrate to your bones even though the temperature rarely drops to freezing.

Porteños (people from Buenos Aires) abandon the city in summer if they can. You will likely find them on the beaches in Uruguay; my own porteño cousins prefer Punta del Este, but there are shiploads of porteños at other more popular resorts. You can't generally tell them from Uruguayans because they both speak Spanish with a rioplatense accent, living as they do on opposite sides of the Rio de la Plata.

I enjoy reading NorthAmerican's posts. So well-written and interesting except for the dull parts.--Nines

Bad idea to go to Argentina in September, October, or to mid-November IF you are planning to do any trekking/hiking in the Andes -- such as from El Chalten or doing The W Trek in the Southern Andes because there is likely to be too much snow on the trails.Buenos Aires was not humid at all when I was there from about March 10 to April 2 some years ago.

Well, I'm in Florianopolis, Brazil, it's pouring with rain- rains more here than the UK. Returning to the UK in 3 weeks - got a flight with Norwegian from Buenos Aires to London, £350. Think I will have spent about £4000, all in, by the end.

Wasnt originally planning on coming here, so glad as it has been my favorite country. If you're planning a shorter/taster trip, you could definitely add Brazil and Uruguay. Particularly if you're going to the falls. Even nip into Bolivia and/or Paraguay. I briefly entered Argentina/Salta from Bolivia- Uyuni, an amazing place, then headed to Asuncion and then on to the falls. Got a flight from Foz de Iguazu to Rio for $80 ish and that was during Carnival.

From my day and a half so far in Argentina, it is the most expensive, except maybe for wine. It's annoying as well when it comes to money. Huge queues for atms, high charge, low limit on what you can take out at one time. dodgy money changers on the street. The only country that charges you for putting your luggage on the bus. And taking it off.

I sort of checked prices for wine as I passed through each country - thinking of you. You're fucked in Colombia, really expensive, unless local, which is supposed to be shite. Beer and cocktails are cheap everywhere, especially during happy hour and if you buy in bulk.

Kind of looked for vegetarian options, think you'll be okish, just will have to pay more, not many almuersa/menu del dia deals. Saw a few places called Govinda, some of them seemed Hare Krishna affiliated.

As for cheese,well I've had some decent blue cheese - tried in a couple of buffets. Had a wine and cheese birthday party in Rio with some decent Brie-like stuff and something similar to Mantega.

Transport is going to be a big part of your budget, there are lots of sites that you can find out bus costs, I used busbud. It's a good idea to have a bit of an idea of companies/types of bus before you get to the station because there are loads. Bus stations can be quite far. Loads of people are using uber to get to and from/around. Everyone has map sme downloaded as well.